Quantcast
Channel: SB Nation - New York Yankees
Viewing all 4714 articles
Browse latest View live

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 11/22/2014

0
0

Meet the latest Yankee International Signee, even with David Robertson the Yankees pen might be worse, Jason Grilli and Jimmy Rollins are good fits for the Yankees, and the search for a hitting coach is starting to turn sad.

MLB.com | Jesse Sanchez: Emery Young is the latest feather in the cap of what is the Yankees offseason prospect binge.  MLB.com has some video of the newest member of the Yankee organization.

Pinstripe Pundits | Chris: Yankees bullpen was one of the few bright spots this year, but prediction systems believe that there were a lot of overachievers.  If regression happens even D-Rob won't be able to fix the pen.

CBS | Sweeny Murti: Notes on the Yankees possible moves for this winter. Jimmy Rollins might be a good idea and Jason Grilli would be a good reliever to pick up if Robertson walks.

New York Post | George King III: Cross another name off the list for potential hitting coaches.  Does anyone want to be a coach for the Yankees? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?


Yankees make more 40-man roster mistakes before Rule 5 Draft

0
0

They've done it again. On the day the Yankees set their roster in time for the Rule 5 Draft next month, the team that decided to give Slade Heathcott and Jose Campos precious space on the 40-man roster last year did the same thing this year when they protected Mason Williams. They took four players total, but the others–Tyler Austin, Branden Pinder, and Danny Burawa–were at least understandable. Williams, on the other hand, looks to be a mistake from the beginning.

There are plenty of reasons to protect a 23-year-old with elite-level defense, but when factoring in what this team went through last year–injuries, dead roster weight–it would have been nice to see them act smarter this time around. As theoretically useful as Mason might sound, he still can't hit Double-A pitching, and there's just no way he'll see time in the majors in 2015. He's more likely to be demoted thanwear pinstripes, even in the next two seasons, and if you add him to the list that includes Slade, Campos, Gary Sanchez, and even Manny Banuelos, the 40-man roster could end up looking more like a 35-man roster in terms of actual useful players for the 2015 season.

Making decisions like this takes away from their ability to add depth at positions of greater need. The Yankees currently have nine outfielders on the 40-man roster, and while Heathcott is likely a lost cause at this point, the team still has Austin, Ramon Flores, and even Eury Perez on the depth chart ahead of him. This seems incredibly excessive, especially when the Yankees still don't have a fully formed infield and could end up losing two catchers in one offseason between Francisco Cervelli and Austin Romine.

While Mason was a mistake for adding him to the roster, the Yankees might have also made a mistake by deciding to not add someone; namely, Mark Montgomery. The prospective relief ace's value has gone down in the last two seasons due to a shoulder injury, but he still has the talent that could make him a useful member of the major league bullpen. Sure there's question marks surrounding him, but there were uncertainties around Tommy Kahnle last year and he had a pretty good season after being taken by the Rockies. Even if Montgomery's shoulder is an actual medical issue, which would be surprising considering he pitched all year, a team that takes him can easily store him on the disabled list all year and still keep him. If Montgomery is taken and then rebounds it'll be a huge loss for the Yankees, who once envisioned him as a future big league closer.

Luckily, the Yankees didn't have much else in the way of must-keep talent, but it's pretty clear that they lack the ability to fully evaluate a prospect in terms of current and future value while also weighing the value of a roster spot. Slade Heathcott will probably go back on the 60-day DL or could even be designated for assignment, and maybe ManBan gets back to his former self and is seen as a legitimate major league option, but that's a lot of ifs and if the Yankees have to play a season with something closer to a 35-man roster next year, chances are it will end up hurting them at some point like it did this year with only three useless spots. They might be banking on a better and healthier year in 2015, but when has that ever worked out? And when are they ever going to learn their lesson?

'The Bad News Bears': An Appreciation

0
0

I talk about my favorite baseball movie.

There seem to be three acceptable answers when someone is asked "What is your favorite baseball movie?" You are allowed to say Bull Durham, Field of Dreams or The Natural. Some people will say Major League, but those people are usually dismissed as someone who never grew up. But every time some one asks that question, you can generally predict that the answer that is going to come back is one of those three movies.

I'm here to tell you that they're all wrong. The greatest baseball movie ever made is the 1976 movie The Bad News Bears.

When I was starting to play organized baseball as a kid, my team's manager told us in no uncertain terms that we were not supposed to behave like "The Bad News Bears." I had no idea what he was talking about because I hadn't seen the movie. I wasn't allowed to watch PG movies yet. There's a certain irony in that statement, because when they remade the movie a few years ago, they had to make some major changes because the original movie would have gotten a straight R today.  But I would eventually see the film and find out what he meant.

You know that this is going to be unlike any baseball movie you've ever seen before in the very first scene. Coach Morris Buttermaker (Walter Matthau) pours out his beer can and fills it up with Jim Beam. As if that makes it any better. But while the film is hard and cynical, it's also a sentimental look what baseball is all about. Ultimately, the message of the film is that baseball is a game for children and that we all lose something when we lose sight of that. It also speaks to the power of baseball to bring a broken family back together.

I'm going to assume that most of you have seen the film and if you haven't, it's on Netflix for you to watch any time. Or you can rent it cheap. But a quick summary of the plot is that Buttermaker, a broken-down alcoholic ex-minor leaguer gets hired to manage a little league team full of outcasts. It's the group of misfits from diverse backgrounds who come together and achieve something special by working together. That's a movie cliché today, but back in 1976 it was still uncommon enough to seem somewhat fresh. And while you would see it in war movies a lot, it hadn't been done much in baseball movies before then.

Of course, this setup has been done in Bull Durham, Major League,A League Of Their Own and probably a dozen other baseball movies since then. But no one ever did it as well as The Bad News Bears. This team has nothing in common expect that they all want to play baseball. In fact, the team shortstop Tanner Boyle (Chris Barnes) sums up the team's diversity in a famous quote that's so nasty and full of slurs that I can only quote the last part of it: "and a booger-eating moron." If you don't know it, look it up. Better yet, watch the movie.

Walter Matthau was a big star when the movie came out and he plays a part he was already pretty familiar with: a curmudgeon who secretly has a soft heart. While he initially just takes the job for a check (and maybe for some free child labor for his pool cleaning business), he quickly changes his tune when he sees the kids humiliated in the first game. After that, Buttermaker realizes that he likes these kids after all, since they're all pretty much losers like himself. Among the acts he takes to cheer up the team, he makes up a story about Hank Aaron to talk Ahmed (Erin Blunt) out of a tree where he's hiding in shame. In fact, Buttermaker becomes the only sympathetic adult in the entire movie, or at least until the Bears start to win.

Did I mention that Buttermaker had previously run out on a girlfriend who had a daughter? That's important to know.

What do you do with a ten-year old girl who has already won an Academy Award? Hollywood certainly had no clue with what to do with Tatum O'Neal. After winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in Paper Moon, O'Neal wouldn't work in a film for three more years. The Bad News Bears is O'Neal's first film after Paper Moon and she's absolutely terrific, even better than she was as a precocious child con artist in Paper Moon. Here she plays a young girl entering puberty when a man who used to date her mother shows up and asks her to play baseball again. The relationship between Matthau and O'Neal provides the emotional heart of the movie. The two walk a dance around each other: Buttermaker is not Amanda Whurlitzer's father, but he's the closest thing she's ever had to one and she still resents him for walking out on her and her mother.  At one point, Amanda asks Buttermaker, "Who the hell do you think you are?" and Buttermaker shoots back: "Your goddamn manager, that's who." Of course, we all know that really, Buttermaker is her father even if they aren't technically related. But neither one is willing to admit that.

Later in the film when Amanda starts to press the issue, Buttermaker rejects her by tossing a beer in her face. O'Neal's reaction is wonderful. She tells Buttermaker off and walks away as nonchalantly as she can, trying to show Buttermaker that he hasn't hurt her. Only when she's by herself out on the diamond does she start to cry. Then it cuts to a shot of Buttermaker alone in the dugout drinking the rest of his beer and shedding a silent tear of his own.

The plot of Amanda pitching for the Bears is the film's hook. In 1976, acceptance of women competing in team sports at all wasn't much more than a decade old (if that) and the idea of girls playing on teams with boys was practically revolutionary. O'Neal's presence in the film is more a reflection of a revolution in women's sports than an inspiration of one, but the film's idea that a girl could not only play with the boys but even be better than all of them pre-dates Mo'ne Davis by almost 40 years. (By the way, as terrific an actor the 13-year-old O'Neal was, her pitching motion was atrocious. One of the few flaws of the film.) Sure, it's what got the pitch sold in a meeting with a studio. But turning the film into a father/daughter movie instead of a father/son one gives it an emotional power that it might not otherwise have had. Maybe I'm just saying that because I have a daughter and not a son, but I thought that before I became a dad. We'd seen dads play ball with sons. We hadn't seen them play with their daughters in the movies before.

I could talk about Jackie Earl Haley's Kelly Leak character, the biker kid who joins the team in an act of delinquent defiance and provides the Bears with someone who can hit, but I'd rather talk about Tanner, the little kid with the foul mouth and a Napoleon complex. Tanner has several of the best lines in the movie and they're all profane. His personality is summed up at the first practice after the embarrassing first game. The kids at school are picking on the Bears and Tanner shows up with cuts on his face. Tanner's teammates explain that he had gotten in a fight and when Buttermaker asks with whom, the team sabermetrician-to-be Alfred Ogilvie (Alfred W. Lutter) explains "The seventh grade." But when asked if he wants to quit, Tanner finally speaks: "God no. I want to play ball." (Incidentally, Ogilvie is currently an assistant GM with Oakland or Houston, I have no doubt, running their databases.)

While Tanner makes his distain for his teammates known every chance he gets, he sticks up for the "booger-eating moron" Timmy Lupus  (Quinn Smith) when two kids from the Yankees pick on him. Tanner ends up getting dumped in a trash can, but he earns Lupus' gratitude and respect.

Tanner also embodies the language of the film, which is very profane. But I was a kid about the same age as the Bears players around the same time, and that is pretty close to how we talked, at least when grown ups weren't around. (We'd never talk that way if an adult was present, although maybe if that adult was Walter Matthau.) The Billy Bob Thornton remake had to change most of that to avoid an R-rating, and in doing so, it loses much of the authenticity the original had. Or maybe kids today don't swear like sailors when I'm not around. I always assumed they did.

With the additions of Amanda and Kelly, as well as a couple of the original members of the team improving from worthless to average, the Bears start to win. It's then that Buttermaker undergoes another personality transformation. Now he becomes a competitive monster, relying on Kelly and Amanda and making sure that the other players stay out of their way.

When the other players complain about the changes and start a fight with Kelly, Buttermaker shouts "We're in the championship! Isn't that what you wanted? Now behave yourselves and act like men."

The statement drips with irony and the audience knows it. The kids never wanted to play in the championship. They simply wanted to play. And as far as acting like men, none of them are. Amanda aside, they're all still boys playing a boy's game. All of the adults have forgotten this.

I won't spoil the end for those who haven't seen it, but it's safe to say that Buttermaker learns the error of his ways. The sad part is that it's clear that he's the only adult who has.

As far as the 2005 remake starring Billy Bob Thornton goes, the less said about it the better. It's not a terrible movie, but the edges on it are all smoothed out. Thornton is good but the kids, so vibrantly written in the original, become stock movie characters. Cardboard cutouts of the original Bears players. They didn't even bother to try to find an actress who could handle Tatum O'Neal's part, so they cast a girl who played baseball instead. Sure, she looks better on the mound, but a lot worse in every other respect. See it if you're curious, but you'll learn more about the sad state of Hollywood than you will about the role of sport in society.

I hope you've come to appreciate the The Bad News Bears a little more after reading this and maybe you've been inspired to watch the film again. And if you don't think I'm right about this being the greatest baseball movie of all time, then I'd just like to quote Tanner Boyle for you one last time.

"Hey Yankees! You can take your apology and your trophy and shove it straight up your ass!"

Please use this space to discuss your favorite baseball movie of all time. It doesn't have to be The Bad News Bears because everyone has a right to be wrong. Also, there are a lot of good candidates for the second-best baseball film of all time.

Poll
My favorite baseball movie is...

  132 votes |Results

PSA Comments of the Day 11/22/14: Cashman is a very noble man.

0
0

From sleeping on the streets for charity to once again rappelling down a building for charity, Brian Cashman knows how to give back in style. Either that, or he's searching high and low for a hitting coach. Pitchers and catchers report in 89 days.

Comments of the Day

I'm not sure what nabbed LTL the COTD award here. The thing about the 8FT of snow, or the Michael Bay comment. I'll say both, but I'm guessing the latter!

You know, it would probably be beneficial if our next hitting coach dabbled in the dark arts. Just a thought, Cashman.

GIF of the Day

A classic PSA GIF that is always appropriate when someone sees an interesting pic of Randy Levine.

Honorable Mod Mention

Harlan pretty much echoes the majority of our thoughts regarding speeding the game up.

Fun Questions
  • While some want to speed the game up, name some hilarious ways you can think of to slow the game of baseball down?
  • Which is classier: A monocle, a top hat, or a pocket watch?
Song of the Day

I Drove All Night by Cyndi Lauper

As always, link us your song of the day!

Alright, I decided to take a break from Smash Bros. after all. Unless the Yankees do something, it's probably going to be another light day today. This whole "no baseball on" thing kinda sucks.

Miss you Baseball

Yankees Potential 1975 Free Agent Target: Catfish Hunter

0
0

Will the Yankees mark their first ever foray into Free Agency by signing the reigning Cy Young Award winner?

1974 Statistics: 318.1 IP, 25-12 W-L, 2.49 ERA, 143 SO

1975 Age: 29

Position: Starting pitcher

After yet another season with the Yankees missing the playoffs made all the worse by doing it in the Mets home stadium, the franchise could use an infusion of excitement and talent. With the dust having settled in the battle over player contracts and free agency a possibility, the Yankees don't just have to rely on their own players to get them back to the postseason: they can snatch them away from their rival franchises. In an opportunity reminiscent of the purchasing of one Babe Ruth, the Yankees can obtain the services of Cy Young winner Catfish Hunter without giving the Athletics even a paltry sum.

Hunter is coming off one the best seasons for a pitcher in recent memory, and thanks to the skin flint ways of owner Charlie Finley who violated Hunter's contract by not handling an annuity properly the star pitcher is available to the highest bidder. Since wins and awards are the best way to judge a pitcher's worth, there is no player more worthy of a massive contract than Hunter. Some nerd that claimed he came from the future mentioned something about WAR, but he was quickly locked up. His ERA is just so damn fabulous. If green owner George M. Steinbrenner is truly committed to returning the franchise to its former glory, this might be the first step.

With ace Pat Dobson in tow, the Yankees could have one of the more formidable rotations in baseball if they added Hunter. With burgeoning talents like Chris Chambliss and Thurman Munson in the fold, the Yankees should have enough offense to push them past their 89 wins and to a playoff spot with one more premier pitcher. Hunter's resume and gravitas could do wonders for what has been a moribund franchise over the past decade and change. He's a champion and a workhorse.

There is the question of morality, though. Should one man make so much money. Early reports have Hunter possibly commanding a bonus in the high six digits; perhaps even one million dollars! Even though that sounds preposterous, with baseball becoming the Wild West in regards to players having the audacity to choose where they work the impossible may become the norm.

If Steinbrenner is truly committed to being a better owner than his CBS forbears, he might want to shell out the money to sign the best pitcher in the sport. It's hard to justify to the common person that a man that plays a game for a loving is worth one million dollars, but this is the crazy world we live in. The Yankees may have to spend to return this team to some measure of glory. But I sincerely hope it's the last time they ever have to kowtow to a player with a massive contract. It's unbecoming the greatest franchise in sports.

The Mystery of Ivan Nova

0
0

How will Nova pitch when he finally returns?

So far, in only five big league seasons, Ivan Nova has turned in a very inconsistent career; a Jekyll and Hyde pitcher, you might say. Nova has had flashes of brilliance in his career like his 2011 campaign, his most successful season, where he went 16-4 with a 3.70 ERA, finishing 4th in the Rookie of the Year voting. Nova has also had ugly years like his 2012 campaign where he pitched to a 5.02, ERA, and last season where he pitched himself to a 8.27 ERA on his way to Tommy John surgery. Nova is scheduled to return in May or June of next season, but when he does return, which Nova will we get?

When Nova returns to a big league mound, it is tough to say who will be in the Yankees rotation and if there will be any room for him. Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda both have health concerns, but if they stay away from the injury bug and are pitching up to their capabilities, they will be remaining in the rotation. A free agent starter or two will have a spot as well, and it may be Brandon McCarthy, Jason Hammel (meh), or a big name like Max Scherzer. One has to assume that if healthy CC Sabathia will also have a spot in the rotation, and he will be given plenty of opportunities to keep it regardless of how he pitches, and Shane Greene deserves a spot by how he pitched last season. Although Greene is the most likely candidate to be booted for Nova, especially if Greene struggles in his sophomore year. If Nova does have a spot to fill in his return, it tough to say how he will fare.

We can hope that Nova isn't completely affected by his surgery, and can return to form; hopefully to the form that made people around the league take notice. Of course that is always tough to predict, especially coming off major surgery. Pineda has had his own surgery, and he came back pitching and looking like a top of the rotation pitcher last season. The same goes for Adam Wainwright a few years ago, and the same can be said for a few pitchers, but when coming back from major surgery, it's always tough to say what to expect. Nova will no doubt be kept an eye on, perhaps even have an innings limit imposed on him, but if right, Nova can be a huge boost to the rotation.

Nova will be 28 years old when he returns, hopefully hitting his prime and ready to take it to the next level of his career. The Yankees still have two years left of control on Nova, and they will be using the next two years to determine whether to sign Nova to an extension. Fangraphs has Nova returning and pitching to a tune of 4.20 ERA with about 150 innings logged in, which wouldn't be terrible, and would be in line with a number 4 starter. Nova may get a pass since he will be returning from major surgery, and will be expected to blossom even more in 2016.

Nova has been a frustrating pitcher to watch since he has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in the league, especially with the filthy stuff he has shown in the past. It will be interesting to see how he looks when he returns and if the Yankees consider locking him up.

2014 Mets Season Review: Chris Young

0
0

It was another dud season for the one-time All-Star power hitter.

After a disappointing year with the Oakland Athletics in 2013, the Mets decided to give Chris Young another shot, by signing him to a one-year, $7.25 million contract last winter. In his years with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Young showed that he was capable of hitting 30 home runs in a season. Of course, he struck out a lot, but that's a common feature among power hitters.

Young dealt with injuries on the A's, and as a result he only played 107 games in 2013. He hit .200 with 12 home runs and struck out 93 times. Unfortunately, Young fared no better for the Mets in 2014. He played in 88 games and hit just .205/.283/.346 with 8 home runs. On August 8, the Mets designated him for assignment, and they released him a week later.

The Yankees signed Young to a minor league contract shortly thereafter, and in 23 games with the big league club, Young hit three home runs with 10 RBI, and 16 strikeouts. Following the season, they signed Young to a one-year deal for $2.5 million. Young will add depth to the Yankees' outfield, which is also set to include Carlos Beltran, Jacoby Ellsbury, and Brett Gardner.

Scouting the 201X Free Agent Market: Shohei Otani

0
0

I want to preface this with the fact that I am not a scout, I just play one on the Internet. These are just observations from the young Japanese star's starts against the MLB “All-Stars,” so small sample size should apply.

This week saw the end of a weeklong series between select players from Major League Baseball against some of the very best that the Japanese league had to offer.  Out of all the players representing the Japanese league, young star Shohei Otani is a name that every fan should get to know.  Two years ago, Otani made waves throughout the baseball world when he announced that he wanted to forgo playing in Japan and sign with an MLB team.  Otani, at the time, was widely viewed as being the next Yu Darvish, though he did not possess the levels of polish that Darvish exhibited at the same age; the raw talent exhibited by the then 18-year-old was unquestioned.  In spite of his statements about wanting to play in the MLB, Otani was drafted number one overall by the Nippon Ham Fighters aka Yu Darvish’s original club.  The Ham Fighters (the team’s name is actually just "Fighters" but I love saying "Ham Fighters") were able to convince the young pitcher to stay and sign with their team by appealing to Otani’s desire to pitch as well as play the outfield on the days he was not starting.  There was also a well-known gentleman’s agreement in which the Fighters promised to post Otani whenever he decides that he wants the bigger challenge that is Major League Baseball.

In his rookie season, at only 18 years old he managed a solid 4.23 ERA with a 4.8 BB/9 while striking out 6.7 batters per 9 over 61.1 innings.  As a position player, he hit .238/.284/.376.  Those numbers may not sound all that impressive on their own, but considering that the NPB league is widely believed to be equivalent to the AAA level of the minors, his rookie numbers are very impressive.  Otani improved dramatically in his sophomore campaign, throwing 151.1 innings while cutting his walk totals to 3.3 per nine as well as improving his strikeout rate to over 10.4 batters per nine.  With the improvement in his peripherals Otani dropped his ERA to a sparkling 2.61. At the plate, Otani showed massive improvements with the stick, turning in a solid .274/.384/.505 season with ten home runs and 48 strikeouts in 234 plate appearances.

Any scouting report about Shohei Otani’s repertoire should always start with his fastball.  A nasty four-seamer this pitch was regularly clocked sitting in the mid to upper 90’s and fully capable of reaching 100 mph.  During his start against the MLB players, Otani’s baseball appeared to have lost little velocity after pitching so many innings for such a young player.  Otani’s fastball also appeared to possess good movement, regularly boring in on same sided hitters especially up in the zone.  The Fighters ace used his fastball to great effect striking out Yasiel Puig swinging on a high riding fastball, and Indians slugger Carlos Santana looking on an inside fastball that broke back across the plate.

During the game, Otani also displayed a curveball, slider and split-finger fastball. The young ace was not as consistent with each of these pitches as he was with his fastball but there is little doubt that it is only a matter of time until he masters them.  Otani showed a lot of trust in his curveball, willing to throw it for strikes and even double up on it to begin at bats. During his exhibition game, Otani appeared capable of varying the break and speed of his curveball.  Against Justin Morneau, he threw the pitch for strikes.  It was slow bending and almost eephus-like in movement and speed.  In a later at bat, Otani got a batter chasing the pitch for strike two.  This curveball appeared much harder and displayed far more drop than those thrown against Morneau.  The slider in this particular game appeared to be giving Otani the most amount of trouble in my eyes.  The movement was fairly inconsistent but he still managed to snap off some that showed nasty late break, planting the idea that on this day, the slider just wasn’t there for him.  Last and certainly not least, is Shohei Otani’s split-finger fastball.  Out of all the off-speed and breaking pitches the right-hander threw, his split finger impressed me the most during his outing.  While a few that were thrown almost looked like a hanging slider, most were downright filthy.  When thrown correctly, the pitch would come in hard and fast before completely falling out of the zone.  On a few occasions during his outing I caught myself thinking about how his splitter reminded me of Masahiro Tanaka’s.

Otani’s outing was not perfect. While the stuff was no doubt impressive, he still showed that he is not yet a finished product.  Otani would occasionally fall out of sync with his mechanics.  This was especially true the second inning of the exhibition game.  This caused him to miss his mark by a wide margin. During his outing, Otani hit a couple of batters and narrowly avoided missing a few more.  In addition, while his secondary pitches showed a lot of promise and potential, there was inconsistency in the shape and the movement of the pitches, especially when it came to his slider.

Otani is an incredibly special player; his talent and repertoire are undeniable.  He appears to have some issues with his consistency but considering that he only just turned 20, that is not surprising.  It is only a matter of time before he decides that he wants to come to the United States, and when he does, the Yankees need to go after him just as hard as they did when they chased Masahrio Tanaka last year.


Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 11/23/2014

0
0

Looking back at the 2013 Rule 5 Draft losses, Cashman discusses the roster, Randy Levine says that the Yankees will have offseason surprises

Yes Network| Lou DiPietro: A look back at the Yankees 2013 Rule 5 Draft losses and the impact that they made in 2014.

Newsday | Will Sammon: Brian Cashman discusses the holes on the roster and the work that he has to do.

Yanks Go Yard | Jacob Winters: Randy Levine says that the Yankees offseason will have surprises and the team will not end up empty handed.

Baseball America | George King: Yankees' Tyler Austin re-establishes himself as a prospect.

Rolling Thunder | Dan Pfeiffer: Jairo Heredia has become the latest farm pitcher to defect to the Braves.

Yankees open to adding more than one starting pitcher

0
0

Brian Cashman has said that the Yankees are opening to adding more than one starting pitcher to the team during the offseason.

Brian Cashman took an opportunity to speak to the media on Thursday night, and he stated that the team would be open to signing more than one starting pitcher. On the topic of Brandon McCarthy, Cashman said that the Yankees "clearly have interest," and that even if they did sign McCarthy, that wouldn't keep them from signing another starter. Cashman also said that he still hasn't heard what Hiroki Kuroda's plans for next season are, but he didn't seem to think he would retire. He didn't say whether the Yankees would want Kuroda back, but reiterated that the team does need starting pitching, so Kuroda could potentially help out in that area.

As things currently stand, there are quite a few health concerns and some empty spots in the rotation. CC Sabathia is on track to start the season in the rotation. He previously planned to throw a bullpen session around Thanksgiving to test how his knee felt, but since then he's decided that it feels "pretty much 100%." His new plan is to leave for spring training early and we can pencil him in to the rotation and hope for the best. Masahiro Tanaka only made two starts after being activated from the disabled list in 2014, and even though he got hit hard by the Red Sox in the second start, Tanaka insisted that his performance was due to poor command and had nothing to do with the health of his elbow. The worry with both CC and Tanaka is that they missed significant time last season, and it's impossible to say how their respective knee and elbow will hold up after receiving the stem cell treatments. Michael Pineda, who returned from his own injury in mid-August and was able to make nine starts, is a lock for the rotation. The fourth pitcher in the rotation will probably be Shane Greene, unless the Yankees do sign two starting pitchers. Ivan Nova is expected to return from Tommy John surgery at some point in the season, possibly around May.

At the very least, the Yankees need to get one starting pitcher to be the fifth guy in the rotation while Nova is rehabbing. It would make better sense to get two. After the rotation was decimated by injuries last season, they should be prepared for that to happen again. Not to mention the fact that CC's performance has been on the decline for the past few years. Unless he gets traded, they do still have David Phelps. The team could do what is becoming a traditional spring training competition for the fifth rotation spot again. This year's could feature David Phelps, Adam Warren, Chase Whitley and Bryan Mitchell possibly.

If the team wants to go the free agent route, and they don't end up re-signing McCarthy and/or Kuroda, then things start to get very unclear. According to Jon Heyman, the Yankees are interested in bringing back Chris Capuano, who was decent in his time with the team last year, though Capuano may be more interested in pitching in Japan. There have been conflicting reports as to whether the Yankees are interested in Max Scherzer or not. Without Kuroda or McCarthy, the plan for starting pitching is all guesswork. It should be fun to see how the offseason plays out.

Poll
What should the Yankees do about starting pitching?

  468 votes |Results

PSA Comments of the Day 11/23/14: Football Open Thread

0
0

Still nothing happening on the Yankees homefront. However, football is being played today. Come join us and discuss it and whatever else might be on your mind. Pitchers and catchers report in 88 days.

Comments of the Day

You know, there's not much more I can add to this really. Moving on.

Come to think of it, I've really got nothing for this as well. Next.

I hope LTL is right about all of this.

GIF of the Day

I can almost hear it screeching at me as it approaches my eyes.

Honorable Mod Mention

Pinstripe Alley: We speak jive!

Fun Questions
  • What's your favorite sequence in an action movie?
  • Favorite dragon ever?
Song of the Day

You Should Be Dancing by The Bee-Gees

As always, link us your song of the day!

There's still not much going on with the Yankees right now. Knowing them, they'll probably wait till all the Pinstripe Alley writers are sitting down to Thanksgiving Dinner to drop an offseason bombshell on us. That would be so Yankees, AMIRITE? In any case, there is football on today. Come join us and discuss such matters. In fact, you may discuss whatever else is on your mind. It's an open thread after all.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Yankees rumors: New York has discussed Jason Grilli

0
0

The Yankees have had internal discussions about bringing in Jason Grilli

David Robertson is a free agent, and in their attempt to build a better bullpen for the 2015 season, the Yankees are discussing every possible option they have in terms of free agency or trade. According to Sweeny Murti, one avenue they have explored at this point is the possibility of bringing in free agent reliever Jason Grilli.

At the age of 38, Grilli is seemingly at the end of his career. He received a massive amount of attention in 2013 when he resurrected his career with the Pirates and became one of the best closers in the game. Unfortunately, it turns out that relievers really are a fickle thing as his 2014 didn't exactly go as planned. After struggling with Pittsburgh, he was traded to the Angels where he managed to rebound a bit as a useful reliever.

At this stage in his career and after the year that he had, it's hard to see Grilli get anything other than a cheap one-year deal, and even then, it's possible he might have to settle for a minor league contract. Despite his relative inexpensiveness, the right-hander is not a replacement for David Robertson, so his signing will have nothing to do with what happens with the Yankee closer.

Their internal discussions about Grilli ultimately went nowhere, but it's a long offseason, and this team is usually very thorough about their bullpen. As Murti points out, they could return to the subject at some point in the offseason and, regardless of what has happens between now and then, a potential deal for Grilli won't make or break this team.

What should the Yankees' personnel strategy be?

0
0

With most of the big league roster still very much up in the air, what should the Yankees' plan be this winter?

Depending on who you ask these days, the Yankees' lack of big name activity to start the offseason could continue until next spring or it may just be the calm before the storm this winter. Either way, there's a lot of work to be done before this roster is complete and there's sure to be many new faces in pinstripes when it is. Regardless of what will happen this offseason, what should the general plan be? Let's weigh the pros and cons of each option.

Sign stop-gaps and let the farm grow

Out of necessity the Yankees have supplemented their weak farm system this year with a full stock of international free agents. As of Thursday's Bryan Emery signing, the team has now inked 10 of the top 30 prospects available. If the front office wants these guys as well as the handful of promising players already in the system to contribute in the majors over the next few years, the planning should start now. That would mean filling out the roster with free agents on short-term contracts while the kids develop.

Pros: It's always more satisfying for fans to watch a winner constructed mostly of homegrown players and the current squad is running low on those types. This would also eventually mark the end of bloated contracts that result in old, unproductive players earning tens of millions of dollars year in and year out.

Cons: In recent years we've seen how uninspiring a team of stop-gaps can be. In this scenario you can kiss the playoffs goodbye for the short-term future while the team continues to float around .500. Even then, there's no guarantee that these promising prospects eventually turn into productive major leaguers so it could turn into a long-term problem requiring another overhaul.

Go all-in on the top free agents

The Yankees are no strangers to spending top dollar for the best talent available. This year it would mean signing some combination of Max Scherzer, Jon Lester, Hanley Ramirez, and Pablo Sandoval, or even all four of them. The team has proven that rumors don't mean much when it comes to who they actually sign, so all four are very much still in play for the Yankees. Just ask Jacoby Ellsbury.

Pros: With these guys on board the Yankees could be right in the thick of the playoff race for at least the next couple years. At this point 2012 seems like an eternity ago so any talk of playoff games in the Bronx next October would be a breath of fresh air.

Cons: Changes to the MLB collective bargaining agreement have resulted in weak free agent classes that will only continue getting weaker. The problem is, the price for top free agents is not decreasing as their value does. That means the Yankees will be getting less bang for their buck here and will only compound the already existing problem of paying old guys to do nothing but serve as a roadblock for minor league prospects.

Upgrade the roster via trade

There have already been whispers this fall that the team has at least considered trades for Elvis Andrus, Alexei Ramirez, Troy Tulowitzki, and Nick Swisher. Last week's trade of Francisco Cervelli to the Pirates could have been a warm-up exercise for a winter full of swapping that lands the Yankees some significant roster upgrades.

Pros: If Brian Cashman is shrewd enough, he could acquire players as good if not better than the top free agents through a series of trades. This could also put the Yankees right back in playoff contention. The added bonus here is that the financial burden of these players is likely to be less than that of the top free gents in terms of both years and dollars.

Cons: Trades significant enough to seriously upgrade the major league roster would come at the cost of depleting what little talent they have in the farm system, even after all of those international signings. The organization has clearly struggled with developing talent in the recent past so starting from scratch again doesn't seem like an enticing proposition.

The ideal option would be a mix of the three above that upgrades the roster without drying up all of their young talent or setting themselves up for a team full of unproductive late thirty somethings five years from now. In general though, what do you think the plan should be? Please vote below.

Poll
What should the Yankees' general personnel strategy be this winter?

  260 votes |Results

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 11/24/2014

PSA Comments of the Day 11/24/14: Odell Beckham Jr. is Spider-Man

0
0

In case you missed it last night, Odell Beckham Jr. has been confirmed to be Spider-Man. Also, in the baseball world, our arch nemesis from Boston have apparently made some major offseason acquisitions. Pitchers and catchers report in 87 days.

Our arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox, have struck first in the age old practice of signing major league talent free agents. Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval appear to be on their way to Beantown. Meanwhile, still nothing major on the Yankees' front. Perhaps it's time to give Chase Headley a phone call?

Comments of the Day

Matt P rolls his eyes at the thought that sucking for a few years almost guarantees you a championship a few years later.

Oh Andrew. Honestly though, one more week and he could make PSA Fantasy history.

Seriously though, that might very well be one of the greatest catches you will ever see a football player make.

GIF of the Day

I'm gonna stare at this for a few more minutes. Anyone care to join me?

Honorable Mod Mention

Harlan just about says it all here regarding the 2009 World Series Championship.

Fun Questions
  • Are you good at remembering your dreams? If so, do you have a favorite or least favorite one you can recall?
  • Best way to cook pork? Annnnd GO!
Song of the Day

Let's Get Loud by Jennifer Lopez

As always, link us your song of the day!

So yeah, the Red Sox did a thing alright. Your move, Yankees! Also, there will be two football games on tonight. The regular Monday Night Football game between the Ravens and the Saints and the "postponed due to Snowmageddon" Bills and Jets game. Feel free to use this as your open thread for the day.

Do something, Yankees!


Yankees Prospects: Arizona Fall League in review

0
0

This year's Arizona Fall League Yankees had a wide variety of talent scattered amongst them–from top prospects to minor league fodder. Whether they performed well or clearly didn't accomplish much this Fall, it all means something for the organization.

OF Tyler Austin -19 G, 79 PA, .304/.392/.449, 21 H, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 10 BB, 12 K, 4 SB, 2 CS
After resuscitating his value towards the end of the year, Austin continued his hot hitting when he was finally healthy enough to play Fall ball. Unfortunately, his run of good fortune came to an end when he ended up colliding with Greg Bird in the outfield and suffered another bone bruise, this one in his knee. The Yankees just placed him on their 40-man roster, so not only must they feel confident in his health, but they must think very highly of what he managed to do this year in order to raise his stock back up. If Austin continues to hit like this, the Yankees might be forced to find a place for him in the big leagues, whether they use him in the outfield or behind Mark Teixeira at first base.

3B Dante Bichette -20 G, 82 PA, .260/.317/.274, 19 H, 11 RBI, 7 BB, 18 K,SB, CS
Like Austin, Bichette was able to reinvigorate his value by fixing his swing and actually showing some potential with his bat. While he's been passed by on the third base prospect depth chart, there's still an outside shot that he can offer some kind of value if he can continue to hit. His biggest problem is that he may not end up having a position, and for someone like that, he's going to need to hit for more power than he's shown.

1B Greg Bird - 26 G, 115 PA .313/.391/.556, 31 H, 6 HR, 21 RBI, 13 BB, 23 K, SB, CS
Greg Bird is amazing. After missing some time with a back injury this year, the organization's top first base prospect ended up having a solid season that allowed him to move into their top 20 prospect list. They let him play in the Fall to make up for his lost time and he ended up putting together perhaps the best performance anyone could have asked for. He didn't just continue to find success, he utterly dominated the league, winning the MVP Award and adding some exciting buzz around his name. With Mark Teixeira's failing health and slipping overall value, we could be seeing Greg Bird within the next two seasons.

RHP Caleb Cotham -10 G, 13.1 IP, 6.08 ERA, 4.25 FIP, 18 H, 9 ER, 2 BB, 14 K
Cotham was an odd choice for the Arizona Fall League this year. At 27, he's a year away from minor league free agency and hasn't offered anything of promise yet. He seems to be just a warm body, but it's disappointing they couldn't have sent a body with more potential.

RHP Kyle Haynes -10 G, 11.2 IP, 2.31 ERA, 4.42 FIP, 11 H, 7 R/3 ER, 8 BB, 9 K
The Yankees received Haynes from the Pirates in exchange for Chris Stewart. The 23-year-old reliever had a mediocre start to his Yankee career and extended that mediocrity into the Fall. He might see time in Double-A next year, but if his control doesn't improve we won't be hearing much more of him.

C Kyle Higashioka -6 G, 27 PA, .409/.480/.682, 9 H, HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K, SB, CS
After undergoing Tommy John surgery, the Yankees gave their 24-year-old catcher a few more reps in the AzFL. He saw limited action, but he did hit well in a small sample size. If Austin Romine is lost to waivers this offseason, Higashioka could get some playing time in Triple-A as a stopgap until Gary Sanchez can take the next step. He's not going to be a major league option, but expect to see his name around the organization in 2015.

OF Aaron Judge -24 G, 106 PA, .278/.377/.467, 25 H, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 13 BB, 22 K
The Yankees outfield prospect continued his torrid debut season with a solid showing this Fall. He was no Greg Bird, but it's good to see that he can still be effective this late into his year. Judge ended up with over 600 plate appearances, and after so much success, it won't be surprising to see him in Double-A already. He might not be the power behemoth that everyone expected, but he seems to be able to handle the bat for just about anything. It will be important to see how he keeps things going in 2015 and whether or not he can be this good going forward.

RHP Alex Smith - 10 G, 10.1 IP, 10.45 ERA, 7.79 FIP, 25 H, 15 R/12 ER, 8 BB, 7 K
There has never been much excitement surrounding the generically named Alex Smith, and at 25 and still in A-ball, don't expect to hear too much more. However, this year in his first full year at High-A, the righty put together a fairly solid season that the Yankees clearly wanted to see more of. Unfortunately for everyone involved, Smith absolutely tanked in his time with the Scottsdale Scorpions, making it easy for the organization to see that 2014 was an aberration.

Yankees Potential 2015 Free Agent Target: Casey Janssen

0
0

Could the Yankees snatch a division rival's closer away from them this winter to boost their bullpen?

2014 Statistics: 50 G, 45 2/3 IP, 25 saves, 3.94 IP, 4.14 FIP, 1.182 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 1.4 BB/9

2015 Age: 33 (born 9/17/1981)

Position: Right-handed reliever

Although the Yankees' bullpen found success in 2014, its efforts were mostly powered by the dominant Dellin Betances and closer David Robertson. There were instances where Adam Warren, Shawn Kelley, and others held their own for awhile, but with Robertson potentially departing for a big-money contract to save games somewhere other than the Bronx, the Yankees could use a known commodity in their bullpen. They've shown interest in Jason Grilli, and another under-the-radar reliever they could target is former Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen.

Janssen should be a familiar name, and not just because his last name is almost as the same as more well-known Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. The righthander has been pitching against the Yankees north of the border since 2006, when he was a 24-year-old rookie starter trying to find his way. Like many relievers, the Blue Jays felt that focusing on just a couple pitches would turn him into a more useful weapon out of the bullpen than his potential in the rotation offered. He was then brilliant out of the 'pen in 2007, but surgery on his right shoulder labrum knocked him out for almost a year and a half.

After a couple up-and-down seasons, Janssen finally found recaptured his '07 form in 2011, when he pitched to a 2.26 ERA and 2.45 FIP in 55 games as Toronto's setup man. When newly-acquired closer Sergio Santos proved to be ineffective and injured rather quickly in 2012, Janssen ascended into the closer's position, which he has held since then. He was about as reliable as any closer in baseball from 2012-13, saving 56 games in 61 opportunities, a remarkable 92% success rate, and these two years weren't flukes. He notched a 2.55 ERA, 2.93 FIP, and a 0.920 WHIP in 118 games, but this past season was a bit of a step back from those numbers.

Janssen began the 2014 campaign on the DL until mid-May with a lower back strain, and he suffered a "violent case" of food poisoning after the All-Star break that made him lose eight pounds. The 1.23 ERA he carried into the second half evaporated, and an ugly finish season made his numbers worse. However, Janssen was a very effective pitcher for three and a half seasons prior to his poor finish to 2014. He usually strikes out much more than the 5.5 K/9 he recorded in 2014--for the past four seasons, his strikeout rate hovered around 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Janssen's control has always been superb, and he's at his best when opposing hitters are making weak contact against his off-speed pitches:

Cutter

Janssen cutter

Curve

Janssen curve

While Janssen's most common pitch is his fastball, it only averages about 89 miles per hour. Occasionally, he will reach back into his old starter repertoire and mix in a slider or changeup, but he often features the cutter or the curve. Often, that's enough to get the job done, and for the majority of the past few years, that's exactly what Janssen has done.

The Toronto closer is certainly an intriguing buy-low candidate for the Yankees' bullpen, even if they brought back Robertson. Janssen's off-year decreased his potential cost and ensured that there would be no draft pick attached to him. Should the Yankees bring him into the fold, then he offers the potential to either lock down the closer's role, or to provide likely more trustworthy setup innings than Warren or Kelley. It seems like he'll probably be able to get a deal somewhere else where he could definitely close though, so I wouldn't count on Janssen being available for the Yankees. If not though, Janssen is worth some interest.

Yankees Potential 2015 Free Agent Target: Kendrys Morales

0
0

Should the Yankees sign Kendrys Morales as a backup first baseman?

2014 Statistics: .218/.274/.338, .271 wOBA, 72 wRC+, -1.7 fWAR

2015 Age: 32 on 6/20

Position: 1B/DH

Kendrys Morales has experienced a lot of highs and lows throughout his career. He had a breakout 2009 season, when he finished 5th in AL MVP voting with a triple slash of .306/.355/.569. The following year, he infamously broke his ankle crossing home plate to celebrate a walk-off grand slam that he hit off of Brandon League. Due to the injury, he missed over 100 games in 2010, then missed the entire 2011 season because of complications while rehabbing his ankle. After finally getting healthy, he was able to bounce back and hit at a level comparable to his career numbers of .271/.324/.460 for the next two years. This was particularly impressive in 2013 when he became a Mariner and was still able to hit 23 home runs. At the end of the season, he rejected the Mariners offer to him, and elected to test free agency. Unfortunately the market was not in his favor, and similarly to Stephen Drew, Morales found himself without a team when the 2014 season started. He didn't get signed until June, when the Twins offered him a prorated deal. A few weeks later, they traded him back to the Mariners where he finished the season.

Much like Stephen Drew, Morales did not have a good 2014 season. In fact, it was easily the worst of his career. It is very likely that the lack of a spring training contributed to his poor performance. Since he had such a down season, and because he ended up having a hard time getting signed last season, a team may be able to sign him for less than he is worth. If the Yankees are interested (and they supposedly were last season), Morales could be used to backup Mark Teixeira at first base. There has been talk that Alex Rodriguez could backup at first base, but it would be good to have an actual first baseman too, unlike last season when nearly everyone on the team with a glove ended up at first base. On the other hand, Morales would be another player who would need to spend most of his time at DH. That spot looks like it could be filled primarily by A-Rod and Carlos Beltran, but it doesn't hurt to have someone else available. Morales is a switch-hitter, so he has that going for him. If he could rebound to around his career average then Morales has the potential to hit 20+ home runs, and the lineup could use the boost.

If the Yankees were able to sign him to a deal that wasn't too expensive, he would be a perfectly good backup first baseman. After this last season, and all of Teixeira's trips to the DL and concerns about his wrist, we can almost expect that next season will be much the same. At least the Yankees should be prepared in case it is.

Pinstripe Q&A: A very Yankee Thanksgiving

0
0

Last year Eduardo Nunez burned the turkey, so he wasn't invited back.

As Yankee fans, I want/assume that the Yankees players and staff spend every waking moment hanging out with each other. It's probably not true, but I choose to believe that they are planning a Thanksgiving feast as we speak. I decided to ask the PSA staff how they would plan a Very Yankee Thanksgiving dinner.

Q: You are having Thanksgiving dinner with the Yankees. Who are you assigning to make each part of the meal (turkey/pies/etc)?

John

I'm basically giving the Southerners all the real work at my Thanksgiving- because Thanksgiving is really all about the sides. The California boys can bring something green. The hardest was figuring out who to have cook the bird. Obviously, of all time Yankees, if you need a bird dealt with, you'd invite Randy Johnson.

Cook the Turkey: Joe Girardi, when you're cooking a big meal like this, you need someone who will take care of the main course by the book. No surprises this way.
Be the Turkey: Tex
Cranberry Sauce: Michael Pineda, just doesn't strike me as the type to cook. So the cranberry will still have the ridges from the can.
Mashed Potatoes: Dellin Betances, so long as he leave the peels on.
Brussel Sprouts: CC Sabathia
Stuffing: Brian McCann, cause he'd make the stuffing the right way!
Cornbread: David Robertson, please, what else are you going to have the guy from Alabama bring for Thanksgiving?
Pie: Gardner, duh
Drinks: The McCarthys

Andrew

Tex can't bring a dish. I don't trust him to make something that has the potential to be unhealthy, which is what Thanksgiving food is all about. Is kale-layered tofurky a thing?

Brett Gardner's on wine-pouring duty, though I suppose I must consider that he might dump the wine bottles on the guests. Not saying I'd oppose it...

Bryan

-I think we should all be in agreement that Mark Teixeira will be bringing in the beverages: juice for all.
-Derek Jeter will be making the turkey and sit at the end of the table and nobody will even dare of suggesting someone else sit there.
-Brett Gardner and Jacoby Ellsbury will make the pies. Gardner will make the apple pie, Ellsbury the pumpkin one.
-Brian McCann will make the potato salad.

Harlan

Mark Teixeira will make a nutritious kale and avocado salad - everyone will tell him it looks great, but it will sit there on the table, awkwardly untouched.

Brian Cashman will acquire the turkey - in exchange for David Phelps and John Ryan Murphy.

Brett Gardner will make the gravy - to be dumped over the turkey in celebratory fashion.

David Robertson will be asked to close things out with dessert, but will consider making dessert for other parties instead. If necessary, Dellin Betances will step in admirably.

Alex Rodriguez will not be invited...but will show up anyway.

Doug

Pies: Mark Teixeira

Turkey: Joe Girardi

Mashed Potatoes: Brian McCann

Stuffing: Michael Pineda

Sweet Potatoes: Alex Rodriguez

Gravy: Chris Young

Biscuits: John Ryan Murphy

Green Bean Casserole: CC Sabathia

Caitlin

I would have CC Sabathia make the turkey and Brian McCann make the mashed potatoes. David Robertson looks like he could bake a good pie. Mark Teixeira would probably show up with something like sweet potato and kale smoothies. A-Rod could bring canned cranberry sauce.

Greg

Sabathia will definitely take care of the turkey. Teixeira can be in charge of the stuffing. Jeter will make his "clutch cranberry sauce" with real cranberries, walnuts, and orange zest. A-Rod, to be different, will show up with canned cranberry sauce and a couple of whole lobster. Whether they are cooked or not will depend on his mood. Gardner will handle the Pumpkin Pie while Ellsbury makes sure the rolls are warm and the butter is soft. Brian McCann will bring a big Virginia Ham just to shake it up a bit. Finally, Nunez will totally be that guy who shows up with paper plates and napkins and proceeds to eat all the food.

Shaun

CC and Pineda are in charge of the Turkeys.

McCann and Dellin are responsible for the cakes, mostly because they will be big enough to fend off CC and Pineda should they ever decide to relapse into their chunkier days.

Gardner and Ellsbury will deal with salads and stuffing.

Tex is responsible for the juices and honey drizzled biscuits.

The McCarthys can make the pies, (It's almost too easy to picture hijinks straight out of an episode of "I Love Lucy".)

Masahiro Tanaka can just relax and sit at the head of the table, he carried the team half the season

Girardi will also make stuffing, but he will do so in the most excessively convoluted way imaginable because the binder commands him to.

Matt P.

Turkey: Brian Cashman is going to try to make the turkey. He made it last year and it tasted pretty good, but the rest of the family criticized him for not letting "the kids get a chance" to make it, so a five-year old child will make it this year. It will be horrible.
Stuffing: Masahiro Tanaka makes amazing stuffing, but no matter how good it is, he always says how it "wasn't good enough" and "needs to work harder on it". Chill out, you're great.
Green beans: A-Rod will make these. It's pretty hard to screw up with something so simple like green beans? /Daily News runs story on The Thanksgiving Green Bean Scandal on 11/28
Gravy: CC Sabathia will whip this one up with his homemade recipe: butter, flour, onions, salt, pepper, and two cups of knee fluid.
Drinks: "Smoothies for everybody!" - Mark Teixeira /everyone groans
Pie: A.J. Burnett shows up uninvited with just a whipped cream pie and a towel.
Entertainment: Brendan Ryan will do impressions and Brandon McCarthy will live tweet the event.

Matt F.

Brett Gardner seems like someone who has deep-fried a turkey before, so I'm leaving him in charge of that.

While CC Sabathia probably can't eat one due to his diet, I trust that he knows how to make a good pie.

Brendan Ryan will be in charge of all the side dishes, but he isn't quite trustworthy enough to be trusted with the turkey or any other vital part of the meal.

Should any of the items be burned or ruined in some way, David Robertson will "save" the day (puns, you guys) by bringing a back up just in case.

Mark Teixeira will under no circumstances be allowed to bring anything and will only be setting the table.


Those are our answers, so now it's your turn. Who will be making what at your Yankee Thanksgiving?

Around the Empire: New York Yankees News - 11/25/14

0
0

New York Times | David Waldstein: Known in the past for making reactionary moves to big Red Sox signings, the current iteration of the Yankees choose to stick to their offseason plan instead.

NJ.com | Brendan Kuty: With Pablo Sandoval off the market, the Yankees now need to step up their pursuit of Chase Headley. Bringing Headley back might be the most pressing concern of the team at the moment.

NorthJersey.com | Bob Klapisch: Despite the team declaring a lack of interest, Max Scherzer makes a lot of sense for the Yankees who need to get back to the postseason in 2015.

New York Post | Joel Sherman: The Yankees are focusing on fixing the left side of the infield, upgrading their rotation, and deepening their bullpen this offseason. Stephen Drew, Brandon McCarthy, David Robertson, and Chase Headley might fill all those holes.

LoHud | Chad Jennings: Free agents are signing pretty quickly in the first part of the offseason. What's next for the Yankees?

Viewing all 4714 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images